A Battle Never Fought Alone
by Wholocked Force-wielder girl
Summary: Kanan knew he'd messed up. He'd known that Ezra's powers had expanded, but had been scared to train him how to control them. And...now this had happened. So, when his padawan's humanity and innocence is threatened, will he be able to help Ezra before it's too late? A much deeper look into Ezra and Kanan's bond with some family fluff!
1. Chapter 1

** Hey out there fanfiction reading people! This is my first ever fanfiction! X) Yay! I love Star Wars Rebels and have waited to post this FOR. SO. LONG!**

**Plz excuse any grammar, like, and review!**

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**Chapter 1**

Kanan walked into his room, closing the door behind him and locking it as Hera stepped in.

The man lowered his head and caressed the bridge of his nose, as most adults do when they're upset. His eyes were closed; face showing deep stress and frustration. Hera

stared curiously at her friend. She'd never seen him like this and it scared her more than any number of imperial squads.

"What happened on that mission?" She almost demanded, her face contorted in worry.

Kanan's hand made its way up his face as he pushed back the few strands of hair that had wriggled their way out of his tight ponytail.

"Ezra…he," The man started. He let out a shaky breath. "The kid fell to the Dark Side."

Hera's eyes filled with worry before dimming again.

"Kanan…i-it's not his fault." She said. "Or yours."

The man's brow furrowed.

"That's not true though." He whispered. "He did it to save me…to protect me because I didn't do my job to protect _him_. He wouldn't have been exposed to the dark side if I'd

done that job. And, he can't protect me from something like that."

Hera sat down on Kanan's bedroll, crossing her legs and looking up at him. "Well, he hasn't been taught that, yet. You didn't know that he was ready for it and neither did he."

"Yes, I did." The Jedi whispered.

Hera raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I knew weeks ago." He said, face palming himself. "I sensed it and…I ignored it."

Hera shook her head solemnly.

Kanan was strong, stronger than anyone she'd ever known. But, he'd been Ezra's age when he'd had everything ripped away from him. To tell the truth, she had thought numerous times about how Ezra was essentially reliving Kanan's hard shake of reality. Watching them sometimes, she interpreted that the man tried to serve the purpose of cushioning the blow and tossing the boy a ball of swirling, strobing hope.

When you're young, and you lose someone close to you, you can't remember all the details of the tragedy occurrence. You

can't always clearly remember the details and deep emotions of the event. From this feeling, some have small flashes of despair and let the small whispers that the tragedy was their fault consume them.

That was the way Kanan envied his student. Hera knew he'd give anything to have saved even one person from the deadly tornado that scooped up his life.

His Master, his fellow Jedi, his _whole family_ had been carelessly stolen from him at the age of 14. He'd watched as his master had died, felt as their bond had shattered and

her force signature had faded into nothing. He'd _seen_ the ruins of the Jedi temple and mourned profusely for the fallen Jedi. The worst thing was that the force sensitives who

had survived had turned to the Dark Side and, if were not able to, were killed off. Kanan had gotten lucky, though, escaping using his own wits.

He'd been alone for years, using his small amount of Jedi training to survive.

Ezra was like him. Except, he hadn't had that kind of training yet and therefore wasn't as strong with the force as his Master had been. He was still, in a way, a blind sheep

who was trying to find its way around. The Inquisitor would stop at nothing to steer him toward the Dark Side, even if he killed the boy in the process, and Kanan could never

live with himself if that happened.

To the crew, and more importantly to Ezra, Kanan was a strong, quick-witted, and determined man who laughed in the face of danger. He always had a plan, always a trick,

always a way out without doubts.

"Kanan," She said. "You can't keep doing this! Next time…"

"There won't be a next time!" The Jedi growled.

"Kanan," Hera said with a serious edge to her voice. "Before this was alright, to hold off his training a little. But, now…now the kid has someone after him…a **_real_** Jedi

hunter wanting him as his apprentice."

Kanan tensed at the word apprentice. An image floated into his mind of his padawan, eyes golden around the rims instead of blue, decked out in solid black clothing and

wielding a red lightsaber. Kanan shuddered.

"You won't always be able to protect Ezra. Especially now." Hera continued. "What happens the next time something like this happens? He was almost k…"

"I **_KNOW_**!" Kanan yelled, cutting her off completely.

Hera jumped startled by his sudden outburst.

"I know." Kanan said lowering his voice. "He almost ended up like every other padawan in the temple. We…Ialmost got him **_killed_**… and it's my fault."

The Jedi turned away from the Twi'lek woman, placing his hands on the edge of a desk, which stood in the corner of his room, and bowing his head down. He gripped the

edge of the table tightly and silently shook his head.

Hera walked over to him, reaching her hand out when her com went off;

"Specter 5 to specter 2, are you there?" Sabine's voice came through the com system.

Hera slipped the com out of her pocket and raised it to her lips.

"Come in, specter 5, what's the situation?"

"Well, you know how Tseebo knew everything about the Empire? So much that he kept spitting out random bits of information?" The girl asked eagerly.

Hera chuckled. Sabine had always had an astute memory. Whether it was conversations or deciphering code, she remembered it. Hera smiled fondly as she remembered

that, when Sabine had first boarded the Ghost, that she'd tried to hack the Ghosts main frame to be sure she was safe with them.

"Yeah…"

"Well, I was going over one of the strings of numbers he'd listed…"

"And…?"

"And one is actually a shipment code for a large shipment coming in on Lothal…" The mandelorian paused briefly, translating the last few numerals. "In about two

hours. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but if there's any time to mess with the Empire and stalk up on supplies, it's now."

"Okay, thank you specter 5. Gather the rest of the crew in the cockpit and we'll discuss the plan then. Specter 2, out."

Hera turned back to Kanan who was leaning so far down that she couldn't see his face.

"You'd better go meet the others," He muttered, lifting his hand and force opening the door.

Hera bit her lip and placed her hand comfortingly on one of the man's broad shoulders. The Jedi squeezed his hands around the edge of the table tightly until his knuckles

turned white.

"Kanan…you won't always be able to protect Ezra, but that means he has to be trained so he can protect **_himself_**." She said shaking his shoulder encouragingly. "If you really care for Ezra, then you'll train him in the ways he needs to be before this can happen again. The kid cares about you and if you're ever in trouble then he needs to know how to help you. And you **_know_** that he will no matter what, even if he's running in blindly."

Kanan flashed her a smile with slightly less hurt in his face and looked something approaching his normal self.

Hera smiled back and turned towards the door, walking only a few paces out of the room, when she suddenly popped her head back in.

"Y'know he's too patient with you." She said chuckling.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The Jedi asked with a playful glare.

Hera paused for a moment before replying; "It's because he trusts you."

And with that she walked out of the room and headed down the hall towards the cockpit.

Kanan listened as the woman's footsteps slowly padded down the hall until the soft rhythm was completely faded away.

He sighed deeply as he closed the door and slowly lifted his head. He then slipped out a key from his pocket, and used it to open up a small drawer in the desk. He rummaged through all of the loose papers and old mission plans before stopping at two photographs in particular.

The first showed a young padawan, no older than twelve years old wearing a loose white shirt and holding the hilt of a lightsaber in his hand. A padawan braid rested on his shoulder, appearing at least a foot in length. His eyes shone bright and showed deep innocence.

Kanan chuckled quietly at his young self.

A woman was standing behind him with two tight braids twisted into loops that fell loosely onto her back. Though she wasn't smiling in the picture, you could clearly see the great pride and dignity shining in her oak brown eyes.

Kanan smiled at the picture, a wave of nostalgia and comfort washing over him. His gaze fell to Depa and he stared silently at her thin figure as if somehow trying to catch

her attention through the printed image. He reached out to touch the photo, but recoiled back when his hand made contact. Horrible images of war mixed with devastating

emotions.

He growled.

Though, it was hard **_not_** to let everything wash away at the sight of his master, **_hard_** not to let everything go, even just for a moment. She'd made him feel safe and had

cared for him as though he'd been her own child.

Kanan sighed, lifting the other photo from the drawer. There he stood, lightsaber ignited and eyes seeming to burn into the world outside the photo as though the him in the

photo was actually self-aware. Ezra stood beside his master, giving the camera his best confident smile. He held an imperial helmet in his hands, decked out in the same

pilot's suit he'd always worn. His electric blue eyes were soft, content, focused, and colored with a blue shade of innocence.

"Master," Kanan whispered. "If it had been me, what would you have done?"

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**Yes! First chapter done! BTW, I'm new at this, so please excuse any misuse of grammar.**

**Thanx!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, everyone. THANK YOU SO MUCH for the reviews, favs, and follows! I really didn't think that I'd get this much on my first story and chapter. Anyway, because it's the weekend, I'm gonna be updating pretty often! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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Sabine sat at the table, a pencil in one hand and a notebook in the other. She began to sketch, not really knowing what or who she was drawing. Her artistic mind would usually surprise her with something that she'd been thinking deeply about. Even without her realizing it.

Her eyes flickered up for a moment when the door opened before falling back to her sketch. Zeb stepped into the room and opened up one of the cupboards, searching for sustenance. He grabbed a yogan and sat on the bench across from the girl.

"It's quiet." He said, taking a bite out of the sweet fruit.

"Yeah," Sabine replied, eyes still trained on her sketch. Her eyes narrowed and rose to meet the lasat's. "It _is_ quiet."

Both of the crew members stopped.

_Silence._ It sounded like a word from a foreign language. There'd never been silence on the Ghost. Not for a while, anyway. And, you'd think that the crew members of the Ghost would enjoy this moment in their chaotic lives, savor it, want more of it, but through their lives that had been filled with severe hardships, it startled them.

Something was missing, or more specifically, _someone_. There seemed to be a large gaping hole in the daily routine that didn't settle right with either of them. Then, the young teen popped into their minds. His raven hair, snide remarks, and energetic blue eyes filled in the blank.

"Uhhhh….where's the kid?" The mandelorian girl asked, trying not to sound at desperate as she felt.

Zeb scratched the back of his head.

"He's been in his room all day. Hasn't come out once." The Lasat answered.

Sabine bit her lip. It'd been a rough few days for the kid, especially this last one. It'd been strange. One minute he was cracking jokes, and the next he was completely isolated from the rest of the crew. Kanan had said…something about the kid using 'the Dark Side of the Force.' Whatever that was, it didn't sound good.

Zeb stood up from his seat. "I'd better go make sure he hasn't cut his arm off with Kanan's lightsaber or something."

Sabine sighed, turning back to her drawing.

"Awww, what?" She exclaimed, dropping her pencil.

It was a drawing of her and Ezra talking. She was doubled over laughing and Ezra was giving her his best rebellious grin. She could almost hear what he was saying. Some story about one of his misadventures tricking the empire or some embarrassing secret about another crew member.

Sabine sighed. She pushed her notebook closed, picked it up, and got up from her seat.

Geez, why did she like that kid so much?

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**Sorry about the length. I really wanted to show some of the other member's of the crew's view on the situation, but found it a bit trickier than I had anticipated. Next chapter will be longer and Zeb trying to get through to Ezra. See u then!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! Sorry that I couldn't update as much over the weekend. I've been sick for the last few days! X(**

**Anyways, like, favorite, and _please_ review! Suggestions for stories and/or further chapters are always welcome! **

**Get ready for some deep Ezzy stuff!**

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Ezra lay flat on his bedroll, throwing a blue foam ball up and repeatedly catching it with his hands. The events of the past few days circulated through his head as they were slowly connected with everything that had led up to them.

In trust, there is understanding._ Kanan gave Ezra a choice. Stay on Lothal, or come with him and learn in the ways of the force._

In understanding, there is compassion. _Zeb helped Ezra to free his parents' friends with little hesitation._

In compassion, there is family. _They'd come back for him when he'd thought he was a goner._

And in family there is…

There was a quiet hiss as the door to the room slid open and a tall, muscular shadow stretched across the floor. Ezra didn't need the Force to tell him who it was, though his eyes shifted to the lasat briefly, just for the sake of reassurance.

"Hey, kid." Zeb said, walking in.

"Hey," The teen mumbled, throwing the ball up again.

"Where have you been all day?"

"Where do you think?"The youth grumbled. He tossed the ball up.

Zeb's face twisted in confusion. This wasn't the Ezra he knew. He knew an expressive, mischievous, hopeful teen that was always up and about, bringing life, sound and hope to the mismatched group. What he saw before him was the opposite. The youth looked downtrodden, his face vacant of expression. The blue orbs were unfocused, clearly not in the room and located somewhere distant.

A smile began to form on the lasat's face as he leaned down. As the ball made another leap into the air, Zeb smacked it down. The ball hit Ezra at full force in his face and bounced off of his forehead onto the floor.

Zeb burst out laughing as Ezra propped himself up on one arm to glare at the lasat.

"Kid," Zeb managed to get out in between his laughing fits, "You never seize to listen to that lil' binary droid yelling in your head, do ya?"

A slight grin briefly presented itself on the teen's face. Zeb cared about him, didn't he? Even if he did, did Ezra actually deserve it? Because every emotion presenting itself in the force told him otherwise. The small glint of happiness subsided into prolonged distress as the youth lay back down.

Zeb's brow furrowed in frustration. What was wrong with his little buddy? He was never like this and it didn't seem like anything he said or did made a difference. Confusion turned to frustration, and then frustration to anger.

"What's your problem kid?"

"Nothing…" Ezra replied, sitting on the edge of the bedroll. "Just leave me _alone_."

Zeb shook his head as he grabbed the youth's arm and pulled him to his feet.

"What could've happened on that mission to make you act this way?" Zeb growled.

The boy's muscles tensed up as the lasat interrogated him, a reaction that his crew mate failed to identify.

"You wouldn't understand it if I told you." He muttered.

"Oh…" The Lasat mused loudly. "Do you really think I'm that stupid kid? I _know_. Just because you used the _stupid_ dark side doesn't mean that _stupid_ bubbly, fun personality of yours has to go into hiding." His face fell out of its serious deminer as he chuckled. "You've always had a slight darkness inside of you."

A scene played out in his head of the youth violently smacking the Inquisitor with his own lightsaber and then knocking him out with a force push. Zeb smiled and looked down; expecting to see a rebellious smile with small sparks of mischief flying about in the youngling's electric blue eyes.

But, what he was met with instead caused him to stop laughing immediately. The youth stared at him with sad, miserable hopelessness.

_If there is no understanding, then there is no compassion and no family._

The teen bit his lip as it began to quiver violently, eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

"How would you know that?" He asked. "I don't need _your_ opinion. If I'm so bad, then I would've let that imperial commander kill you, I would've just stood there and let it happen and now I wish I…I…" He couldn't say it.

The constant struggle to keep his face dry from tears choked him, making speaking impossible. He growled in frustration as he grabbed his navy hair and lurched his head down.

The lasat reached out his hand to rest on Ezra's shoulder, but was quickly repelled back by the wave of the boy's hand.

"Ezra…"

"All specters head to the cockpit." The pilot's voice came through a speaker above them. "Prep for an op."

Zeb looked back towards Ezra. The boy was already walking towards the door, when he looked back to the lasat. It was only for a moment, just long enough for the youth to notice the hurt and worry plaguing Zeb's eyes. How wasn't that a dark thing to say?

The words of his master coursed through him like a wave of electricity.

"**_I didn't teach you what you needed to know. I'm sorry."_**

But, why didn't he teach him? Did he think he was too stupid to understand? Too weak to be successful? Too _ignorant_ and_ untrustworthy_ to head his master's teachings?

_But, if there is no trust, then there is nothing._

The boy shook his head confusedly as the doors slid open. "I would never let anything like that happen to you." He whispered softly, and silently strode into the hall.

It wasn't intentional for his crew mate to have heard him, but the lasat's elite hearing had picked up the quiet sentence.

His mind swam with questions for a few moments before realization hit him like a mallet to the back of the head.

"Karabast!" He facepalmed himself and growled irritably. The kid hadn't meant dark emotions or a dark sense of humor. He'd meant _the force_.

Zeb wasn't fairly enlightened when it came to jedi, padawan and the force, but he knew of the dark side.

A state of mind that turned you into a monster. That turned you into people like the Emperor, like the Inquisitor. Ezra wasn't like those people. Far from it. And yet, Zeb had told him he was exactly that. That had to be the cruelest thing he'd ever done to the kid. And he would pay for it.

He would pay for it in the silence and guilty feeling he would get every time he looked at his little brother.

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**Thanks for the support guys, it really means a lot to me, especially because I'm sorta new at this. Well, you know what they say; "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! Stand a little taller!" ...And that's today's song that will be stuck in my head all week.**

****More chapters on the way! ****


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay! New update! Sorry about the wait, but I'll be updating a lot more often 'cause I'm on break! FREEDOM! **

_**Ezra: NO! NOOO! Wholock help!**_

_**Me: Use the force young Ezra! The fangirls aren't force-sensitives!**_

_**Ezra: HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?! YOU'RE force sensitive! **_

_**Me: *Force pushes other fangirls away.* This way!**_

**That was fun. Whelp, on with the show! Enjoy!**

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Hera stared out into the large expanse of space before her, guiding the Ghost steadily through the void. Asteroids and planets

flickered and circulated in their fields of gravity with a graceful rhythm. Hera sighed. This was why she'd become a pilot. The peace

and silence that filled her always enabled a time to think, a time to recuperate and recharge from the constant conflict that festered

the galaxy.

The Twi'lek woman broke out of her dream-like state as the doors behind her slid open, out emerging a teenage mandelorian and a

lasat.

"Hey, Hera. Got that info for the op." Sabine announced triumphantly. She moved swiftly as she slowly lowered herself into her seat.

Hera engaged auto pilot and wrote their current location and fuel level in her log book, swiveling around as the other two people

entered.

Zeb stretched and checked behind him, reassuring himself that the youth still followed.

Hera prepared her mind for the normal bubbly outburst of joy that always seemed to come along with the teen wherever he went.

Whether it was a mischief filled smile or a heartful greeting, the event couldn't be avoided.

Instead, a small little being walked in and it took a few moments for Hera to realize that it was indeed Ezra. The boy's head was

bowed down, making him appear shorter at a first glance. The navy hair fell loosely over his face and his eyes seemed misted with

something akin to sorrow. A dark cloud seemed to form over the Ghost as the youth sat down, his silence and miserable state

threatening pouring rain.

Sabine, for one, felt as though she should say something. Zeb obviously hadn't been able to get much of a good reaction out of him,

so she should at least give it a shot.

"Hey there sunshine," She muttered, nudging him playfully in the arm. "Hello _is_ in all of our dialect, you know." She giggled and then

did something that no one in the room expected. She leaned down and planted a small kiss on Ezra's cheek.

The mist in the youth's eyes cleared as he lifted his head up and stared, wide eyed, at the mandelorian. Sabine herself was

bewildered at her sudden affection towards the boy. _Why_ had she done that? Her cheeks turned red as she watched his eyes light up

again, curiosity chomping at the bit. He blushed furiously as she ruffled his hair and smiled affectionately. Her hand slid down to his

cheek as she gave him her best empathetic and all knowing look.

At this, the teen's happiness suddenly slipped away. It was as though the youth had been a can of brightly colored paint that had

emitted such a brilliant color, but had only had one spray's worth left and was now completely empty. The youth reached up and

grasped her hand gently with his own. Sabine restrained from shivering at the freezing temperature they were in. The teen pulled

her hand away from his face, then gave her a weak smile.

"Thanks…Sabi." He whispered. The thought was kind enough. The evidence that she cared had warmed the teen's frostbitten heart.

But, she didn't know what he'd done and, if she had, would she have reacted the same way?

Sabine swiveled back around at the sound of footsteps entering the room. Kanan walked in,

hands interlaced behind his back, a stone cold look plastered on his usually confident face. He sat silently in his chair and leaned

forward in his seat.

"So, what kind of op are we dealing with, Sabine?" He asked, looking towards the girl.

"Right," The mandelorian replied quickly.

She hurriedly pulled up the hologram of the landing station as though she'd missed her queue. "By the looks of it, the structure and

security are a pretty basic set-up." She examined, spinning the hologram around for a better perspective. "Not heavily guarded, not

too much activity with visits from senators, or anybody important, by that standard."

Hera, while trying to still pay attention to the main points of the op, was minorly distracted. It didn't take an expert sleuth to say

that both Jedi and padawan were both slightly uncomfortable being together in the small room. They avoided direct eye contact.

Ezra appeared strangely fascinated by the hologram, a little too much so to be believable.

Kanan stared blankly at the floor, but you could tell that he was far off. And she meant _really_ far off.

It was both painful and slightly amusing to watch. When the two did make eye contact, it was always one of them glancing over to

the other, and then quickly adverting their gaze when the other noticed that their opposite was looking at them.

"As far as money and contents of the shipment, it's mostly imperial helmets and some fruit. Nothing too extravagant." Sabine

continued. "Hera could actually park a little closer to the scene this time." There was no reaction from the pilot. "Hera? Hera? Hello?

_Hera!"_

The pilot broke out of her trance. "What?"

The mandelorian repeated herself.

"Well, that'll be a nice change." Hera commented, grinning.

"Okay everyone, this is a routine op." Kanan announced, trying to maintain his leaderly tone. "Hera, as always, you're our ticket out,

so keep the Ghost close and wait for my signal. Sabine, gonna need some of that charm and explosives of yours to make a

distraction at the loading bay. Zeb, if things get rough or we're slowed down by any additional imperial squads, then we'll need you

to take 'em out. Ezra, you watch Sabine's back, make sure she doesn't run into any trouble. I'll…"

Ezra looked up and shot Kanan a confused look. Why would Sabine need someone to cover her? Especially for such a simple op? This

was a step down, or more like a drop, from his usual occupation.

"Why-"

Then it hit him. He was usually with Kanan, retrieving the supplies. In his eyes flooded a hurt that all of his crew members could see

and one that Kanan could feel fluctuating in the force. Of course he wouldn't want Ezra with him. Just the same failure that Ezra

could feel was probably identical to that of his Master's anger. Anger that he imagined surfacing every time his Master laid eyes upon

him.

"Okay." He replied quickly.

A feeling of failure flooded Kanan. Timid. That was what his student was being right now. He could almost see every remembrance of

trust leave the boy.

Hera looked sadly at the sorry boy and then looked back to the failure strewn face of her friend. Enough was enough.

"I'll grab the shipment and…"

"No, you won't." Hera interrupted, crossing her arms. "I think you and Ezra are going to be sitting this one out."

"Wait, what?" Both males responded in sync, causing all of the other members of the crew to stifle a laugh.

The youth's eyes flew fearfully to the pilot, while the man's eyes bore holes into her soul. Kanan's dead stare bore a message of;

_Hera, this __**isn't**__ a good time._ Ezra's shown with a feeling of desperation and guilt; _Hera, this isn't gonna benefit either of us. __**Please.**_

"You heard me," The pilot said calmly. "You two will be our getaway drivers this time."

"But Hera," Kanan began. "You can't…"

"I can't handle it? Is that it?" The Twi'lek woman challenged. "I was once in the field too love. Sabine can distract the imperials while

Chopper and I handle getting the shipment here. Zeb is our ticket past any imperial witnesses."

"But-" This time it was Ezra to cut in.

"No buts." Hera interrupted in a taunting tone. "You two have contributed a lot in the past few days and deserve a short break from

all the action. We're doing you a favor here. Enjoy your day off."

Kanan sucked in a breath to protest.

"And…that's _final_. Otherwise we won't be performing this op at all." She threatened. "Or at least, not with _my_ ship."

* * *

The two males shared a loud sigh of disappointment as the Phantom dislodged itself from the Ghost. Kanan looked out the window

and watched the vessel fly away until the small spec was out of his range of vision.

He lifted his head up as he saw a short glimpse of the teen as the youth left the room. He didn't blame the kid.

Failure. Failure and hurt was all that Ezra could feel through their bond. It was strong and unwavering. To accompany the sad

symphony, a searing pain plagued the youth's head, causing him to wobble and nearly tumble to the floor as he walked towards his

quarters.

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**I'd like to thank everybody SO much for the support! You are all awesome and I always look forward to writing for such a great audience! Next chapter will be up tonight or early tomorrow. **

**Also, I have a riddle for you guys! How do you keep fanfiction readers in suspense? Comment what you think in the reviews! See you soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm in my room and I'm updating! I'm in my room and I'm updating! *Sings.* **_**I'm in my room and I'm updating! **_

**Kanan: ****Hey! There's no updating in your room!**

**Me: Yes there is...**

**Kanan: _NO_, there's not!**

**Me: YES THERE IS AND I'M NOT GONNA STOP UNTIL YOU GO GIVE EZZY A HUG YOU BIG SOFTY!**

**Kanan: *Facepalms and turns to Ezra.* Why her?**

**Ezra: *Glares at him.* She's fun. _AND_ she annoys you.**

**Me Awww! Ezzy!**

**Ezra: *Blushes.***

**Haha, I've been watching Elf. If the formatting is off, then I'm sorry. It's acting weird for me. **

**Okay, on with the story!**

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Two lightsabers clashed in the dark of the abandoned base. One was a light crimson, the other a sky blue.

Kanan pushed against his lightsaber, trying to force the pau'an's own lightsaber further away from his own and, if he was lucky, out

of the white specter's strong grip. This was easier said than done, as the pau'an's strength was strongly represented by his large

muscles and quick, deliberate movements.

Then, leaning the slender weapon back, the Kedi pulled a small pistol out of his pocket and shot rapid-fire at the Inquisitor. His aim

was off though, and the pistol was immediately ripped away from him through the force. The Inquisitor looked at the weapon for a

moment, amused at the feeble attempt with the small weapon, and threw it to the floor. He then kicked the Jedi in his stomach,

sending him stumbling back. The man looked up just in time to see the pa'uan snap his hand out, sending a strong force push his

way.

The man yelled as the push sent him flying across the room, but was quickly cut off as he crashed against the side of an abandoned

ship, his consciousness leaving him completely.

A strong feeling of fear and anger suddenly jolted the Jedi awake. He groaned as he rubbed his head. His heart nearly stopped as he

realized that all he could feel in the force… was fear and anger. Darkness. The man snapped his head up, expecting to see his

padawan laying lifeless on the floor with the dark form of the inquisitor standing over him, but instead was met with a sight equally

as terrifying.

His padawan was standing on the edge of the cliff, his eyes shut tight in concentration. Then, all the fear and anger in the boy

dramatically increased, all light dispersing and the darkness presenting itself strongly in the youth. His eyes snapped open and the

Inquisitor shifted cautiously into a more defensive position as he realized the full height and power of the new darkness present in

the boy.

He would've been overjoyed at his success, if it wasn't for the fact that boy's darkness was solely directed at him.

The ground began to shake violently as the youth slowly lifted his shoulders up as though lifting up a full-sized tie. A large, scaled

claw presented itself on the edge of the cliff as the boy's gaze rose back up to meet that of the Inquisitor. Kanan's blood ran cold as

the creature climbed onto the cliff and let out an ear-splitting roar, but what scared the Jedi the most was the look on his padawan's

face. His eyebrows were lowered; his frown deep, and his eyes, his hopeful, electric blue eyes were flooded with hate, contempt, and

unforgiveness.

"Ezra?" The Jedi breathed eyes wide in horror. "No."

The pa'uan readied himself, twirling both lightsabers around to look more threatening to the creature. The boy reared his left hand

back, and then slowly pushed it out pointed towards the pa'uan. The creature let out a roar and leapt at the white menace.

Ezra stayed in the same stance, teeth gritted and brow furrowed in focus. Then the darkness in the boy shook, losing its grasp on

him as it wavered in and out, causing the youth to shake violently. Then, just as quickly as it had come, the darkness left him. The

youth's eyes rolled back in his head as he went limp and collapsed to the floor.

The Jedi's eyes widened in concern as he leapt to his feet, grabbing his pistol and hurrying over to where the youth lay. He dropped

to his knees at his padawan's side, grabbing his arm and slipping his hand behind the boy's head, elevating him up. He shook the

youth's arm gently, but got no response.

The man's eyes filled with worry as he tried to fight back tears. He reached out though both his hand and the force, expecting to feel

something cold, empty, and lifeless in his hand. But, what he felt was the exact opposite. The youth's skin was still warm, and he

was breathing softly through his nose.

"Ezra."

The man patted the boy's cheek and let out a quiet sigh of relief as the sapphire orbs slowly presented themselves. All anger and

fear that had filled them previously was now completely vacant.

Kanan had never been more relieved.

The youth stared up at the man with worry and confusion lining his shocked face.

"Kanan?" He whispered, staring at the man's hand as it slowly moved away from his cheek. "Wh-what happened? I-I feel so cold."

The boy inched closer to the man as he shivered.

"I know." The Jedi replied, casting a quick glance at the battle taking place just a few yards away. "It's okay, we're…"

The Jedi suddenly felt a strong darkness emerge, and he knew what the source was. His glance shot back to Ezra as realization

struck the teen's face and darkness overtook him. Cold, unforgiving eyes met his as the youth sprang up, pushing his hand out and

signaling the creature away from the Inquisitor and over to him.

The creature stood next to the boy, spear like teeth bared and yellow eyes focused intently on Kanan.

"You forced me to become this," The youth spat in a voice that didn't sound his own. "You've never been strong enough to protect

me from the darkness, and now it is a part of me." The youth glared. "And it's all _your_ fault."

The boy slowly retracted his hand back to his shoulder.

"Ezra, don't." The man said calmly. "Don't do this."

"You promised to protect me, when you couldn't even protect yourself." The youth boomed. "Now, you pay the price."

"Ezra, please!" The man yelled. "You're better than this! You have light in you; don't let the darkness take that away!"

"It's too late for that." The boy muttered. "Farewell, _Master_."

He shot his arm out, and pointed it towards the Jedi. The creature let out a loud war cry as it stretched open its gigantic mouth and

leapt towards Kanan.

_"NOOOOO!"_

* * *

Kanan awoke with a start. His head flew around frantically before he realized that he was lying in his quarters. Feeling shaken, he

reached out to feel the presence of his fellow crew members, but then retracted. Hera, Zeb, and Sabine weren't on the ship. No,

they'd decided to trade the shipment for him, much to the man's dismay. They'd be staying the night with one of Hera's old friends

in town.

Kanan shook his head. The fact that Hera had specifically told him and Ezra to stay behind was a clue. The fact that she'd made the

op longer and an overnight trip signaled a plan.

The man reached out to his padawan in the force. His brow furrowed as he tried again. _Fear, anger, **darkness**._

The man's eyes widened as fear swelled up inside of him. Kanan jumped out of his bed and shot down the hall towards Ezra's quarters.

* * *

Ezra laid in his bed, silently listening to the creaks and drips of the ship. The youth sighed as he propped himself up on the edge of

his bed. A sudden pain shot through his head, forcing a yelp to escape his lips. The pain came again, stronger and knocking the youth to his knees. With the pain came a memory, a memory that couldn't have happened.

_Kanan slapped Ezra hard, knocking him into a wall. _

_"You are a disgrace to the Jedi order!" He hollered. "I can't believe I have to teach such a pathetic weakling as you!"_

"No." Ezra whispered. "That... n-never...happened."

Another memory shot through him, this time involving him, Zeb, and Sabine.

_Ezra walked up to Zeb and Sabine in the mess hall._

_"Hey, guys." He said casually._

_The two beings immediately stopped talking and turned towards the teen, eyes ablaze with something akin to anger. _

_"Hey, pipsqueak." Zeb retorted. "Pretty slick moves up there."_

_Ezra's brow furrowed. "Wha-"_

_"Just because Kanan has decided to train you **doesn't** make you one of us." Sabine spat. "We're not your friends and we're not your family, so don't treat us that way."_

"No...please...stop." The boy croaked.

Several more hit him at once, the conversations from the memories seeming to cancel out everything else. _"You don't belong." "We should have left you!" "You'd be better off dead."_

Ezra shook his head violently as he tried to get up, but was knocked down by numerous jolts of pain. Crawling wasn't any different. He leaned with his back against the wall, hot tears running endlessly down his face.

"Kanan...please." He whispered. "_Help_."

* * *

**Took some suggestions and re-updated this one. Thank you for the feedback. Looking through my other chapters, I guess I'm trying to go too 'over the top.' Stick to the storyline. I get the message. See you on my next update!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! I'M NOT DEAD! Anyways, sry about the wait. I had writers block. The kind where you know what to write, but have no idea how to word it. X(**

_***Walks into Ghost. Sees Ezra working on building his lightsaber.***_

_**Me: Hey Ez!**_

_**Ezra: *Freezes. Looks up.* Wholock? Is that u?**_

_**Me: Uh, yeah...?**_

_**Ezra: *Jumps up and hugs me.***_

_**Me: Uh, Ezra?**_

_**Ezra: *Punches me in the arm.***_

_**Me: Okay, first of all, OW, and second of all what is up with u?**_

_**Ezra: YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR NINE DAYS! WE THOGHT YOU WERE DEAD!**_

_**Me: *Force flicks him.* Well, you thought wrong. Anyway, what'd I miss?**_

_**Ezra: *Ignites his new lightsaber.***_

_**Me: Woah!**_

**Oh, how I've missed roleplay.**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THE SUPPORT! **

* * *

The Jedi forced the door open, not even bothering to input the room code. The sliding doors emitted a loud crash as they slammed back, causing a series of small dents to course around the door frame. This was the least of Kanan's worries and he simply ignored it, focusing on nothing but getting to his padawan. His head flew around the room frantically before stopping at the small curled up form of the youth. The teen sat with his back against the wall, legs bent in front of him and sobbing quietly while he clutched his head, eyes closed tightly.

Kanan stood confused for a moment before reaching out to the boy through the force. There _was_ darkness, a surplus, to say the very least, but it wasn't inside his padawan. No, the darkness, if anything, was fighting _against_ the youth. Light radiated in his signature, staying strong, though dimming as the darkness curled around him like a constricting snake.

The Jedi knelt down and gently shook the youth's shoulder.

"Ezra. Ezra!"

The boy grimaced as the call filled his ears. To him, Kanan's voice was one of many swimming throughout his head, lying to him, giving him false hope and false information.

"No…_NO_! Stop it…please STOP IT!" The youth hollered. "Stop lying."

"_Ezra_! It's me! It's Kanan!"The man coaxed. "Please, I'm right here."

The boy's blue orbs appeared, shiny and horrified, and stared at the man.

"Make it stop. It hurts Kanan! Please, make it stop!" Ezra pleaded.

"Make what stop? What's wrong?" "Voices, memories…but they can't be real. I-I can't stop them. I-"

The youth let out a scream as another memory hit. It slithered in and around the youth's consciousness before being rejected. The effort caused by this sent him sprawling to the floor.

Kanan closed his eyes and went into a meditative state, lowering his mental shields, but still keeping his hardened state of mind in focus. Whatever or whoever was tormenting his student's mind was strong. It was a level of sophistication that the Jedi couldn't comprehend at the moment, but was strongly inclined to explore. He'd have to dip into the teen's mind to see the full extent of the damage before he could do anything about it. It was like taking off a bandage and then replacing it. Except taking off the bandage was going to sting.

"Okay, kid." He said calmly. "This might hurt." The Jedi grabbed the youth's hand. A mind was fairly fragile and the Jedi had no way of knowing how deep the damage went. "If it hurts too much, then just squeeze my hand."

The teen nodded slowly and took a deep breath.

With those words passed, the man dove into Ezra's consciousness.

The first things that he felt were the teen's emotions. Common emotions. The kind he'd normally felt when reaching out to the teen or, in better terms, the big picture of what the youth felt. _Fear, hurt. _Next came the deeper ones. Kanan saw the depth of the boy's fear, the true insecurity. He saw the pain and the helplessness. And then, he saw the hope and resolve that shone like a string of lights strewn about the youth's mind.

The boy grunted uncomfortably as the Jedi dove deeper.

Kanan began to hear the voices. There were so many of them calling and shouting, it gave the Jedi a headache and he struggled to move past that part of the teen mind. The core of the boy's mind then showed, fragmented and broken. The darkness was spread everywhere, burrowing small openings and struggling to get to the core.

A sharp blow of the toxin suddenly hit the youth's mind and Kanan felt a hard pressure crushing his hand. The teen whimpered as his breaths became labored, forcing the man to withdraw from the boy's mind.

Kanan opened his eyes. "Blast!" He muttered.

"W-what's wrong with me?" Ezra whispered.

The Jedi's glance shifted over to the teen as a brief expression of worry and shock spread across his face.

Sith poison. It was the only explanation, the only thing that could've induced so much darkness into his student's head. The toxin could be injected or passed and how Kanan hadn't seen it administered, he didn't know.

Sith poison was a toxin that contained darkness itself. If used on one strong in the force, it would administer pure darkness throughout the being's body, taking hold of every cell and nerve. First, it would attack the brain, drawing out all fears and evidently rewriting a force user's entire frame of thinking. The being would be forcedly turned to the dark side against their own will. That is, if they weren't killed in the process.

The cure, the cure was will.

Ezra was strong. He had such hope in his youthful eyes, such strength, but barely any Jedi had been cured of sith poison on their own. On the rare occasion that the Jedi council was met with a case of the poison, the council would collaborate their minds in order to subdue it. The method that was used was one that, unfortunately, Kanan had no knowledge of, other than the fact that it was a long jump from where he had been trained as a padawan.

It wouldn't have mattered anyway though, as far as he knew, he was the only Jedi that had survived the Clone Wars. The other option was an old Jedi trick known as the force meld. Though it was meant to be used in combat, it also had the ability to keep a being from being turned to the dark side.

Kanan had no doubt that their bond was strong enough to perform the meld. The only problem was that this trick was fairly dangerous to perform and had the potential to destroy the mind. But was it much worse than what the teen was going through now?

"Ezra, do you trust me?" Kanan asked.

"What?"

"Do you _trust_ me?" Kanan repeated.

"Well, yeah,"

"Then lower your mental shields _all_ the way." The jedi instructed.

The youth looked incredulously to his master. "All the way? But…anything could get inside my head!"

"But I'm not going to let that happen." Kanan assured.

Skepticism crossed the teen's face.

"What's wrong with me?" Ezra tried again.

The man remained silent.

"_Kanan_! What's-"

"Poisoned." The Jedi said, cutting him off. "You've been poisoned within the force."

The boy's eyes grew wide. "Wha- Poisoned through the force? How is that even possible?!"

"It is possible, but is fairly rare, and a form of toxin that is specifically made to turn a force user to the dark side against their will. The kind you have is most commonly known as sith poison." Kanan explained. "And judging by that wound on your shoulder," He said, pointing to a circle of crimson that was dried on the youth's vest. "It was injected by someone."

"The Inquisitor." Ezra growled.

Fear and understanding flooded the boy's eyes, along with hesitation and worry.

Kanan sighed. "Ezra, what's inside you…it's strong. Pure darkness. There's no method that I can teach you that would enable you to fight it off on your own. This is the _only way _I know of that we can cure you with."

"And what happens if this doesn't work?" The boy dared to ask.

"It's **_going_** to work!" The Jedi snapped.

Ezra flinched.

"It will work." Kanan repeated, softening his tone. "More than ever, I need you to trust me. Can you do that?"

The youth met his master's gaze and nodded. "Mmhm."

"Lowering both of our shields will create a bridge of thinking shared between us. If we can think as one, then we can defeat the darkness that's poisoning your mind." The man explained. "Once we've built that bridge, then I'll instruct you on what to do next." He paused. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, master."

"Okay, release shields on three and, try to relax. It'll make it easier for the both of us." Kanan instructed.

"Yeah, okay. I've got poison coursing through my veins and I'm supposed to _relax_." The teen muttered. His blue eyes slipped shut as he released the strain upon his muscles and waited.

The Jedi's own green orbs disappeared as he silently prayed that the force meld would work.

"One…two…three."

Ezra dropped his barriers with a desperate amount of force. For a few seconds he felt nothing and then a whole other mindscape clashed with his own mind. It felt so strong and the extravagancy of another mind being part of his own nearly knocked him over.

_Ezra. _Kanan spoke within his mind. _Can you-_

_Yes, I can hear you, and no, my mind hasn't shattered._

Kanan's eyes narrowed. He knew that their bond was strong, but usually a force meld's effects would take longer to go into effect. At the moment, Kanan wasn't able to see the boy's thoughts completely, and yet his student had managed to foresee what he was about to say. Was the bond really that much stronger on his end?

There wasn't much time to ponder this as a wave of toxin hit both of the males' minds, along coming a memory. Both males grabbed their heads and grunted as the sith poison coursed around them, but both Jedi and Padawan could feel something tailing behind it, a memory they guessed.

_"Ezra!" _Kanan's voice sounded loudly through his head.

_"Yeah? Wait, how are you doing that?"_

_"Force meld, remember? Our minds are completely connected. If I wanted to, I could even read your thoughts."_

A wave of discomfort came through the force.

_"But I won't." _The mindscape, in a way, seemed to shake as the dark poison took another swing._"Do you remember that day on Lothal, when you first boarded the Ghost?"_

_"Of course I do! That was only a few months ago. Why?"_

_"If we can relive the same real memory, then we may be able to cut off the fake ones. The force meld will help us to see both perspectives of the memory and make the emotional impact and separation line between real and fake more visible. If we can block out enough fake memories, then the light should be able to snuff out the darkness of the poison."_

_"How does reliving a real memory destroy the fake ones?"_

_"If the memory is a pleasant one, then it can strengthen your will. Will is the one thing, if strong enough, that can cure sith poison."_

The memory opened itself up to Ezra at the top of the broken com tower he'd called his home. A star destroyer flew directly above him and resolve struck the youth's face as he went into the small town that occupied Lothal.

Meanwhile, Kanan'd been prepping for a normal op aboard the Ghost and him, Zeb, and Sabine were just entering the town.

As the memory played through the males' minds, both saw points of view that they never expected to see.

Ezra felt the awe and conflicting decision that his master had faced when he'd made the force jump and found Kanan's lightsaber, the conclusion that he was not alone within the force.

Kanan saw the youth's surprise and regret when he saw Ezra standing silently while fruit was handed out to the starving. He saw the conflict his student was faced when asked to risk his own life to warn him, Zeb, and Sabine and risk his own. The man watched as his padawan was grabbed by an imperial and as Zeb left him. Regret, loneliness, and foolishness showed in the boy as he sat in his cell.

Ezra saw Kanan and the others…deciding something? They were deciding whether or not to rescue him and, apparently, his master had the deciding vote. He chose to save Ezra.

Kanan felt the boy's awe when him and the others came back for him. The sense of belonging and of loyalty. The man watched the conflict when they went to Kessel and then the decision to defend the Wookies.

Finally, both relived the moment that Ezra joined the crew. So much happiness and belonging was felt. So much purpose.

The memory faded as another blow hit, much stronger then the last. The poison's full effect was setting in quickly. The fake memory struggled along behind it and started to fill their minds.

_"Using that force push to save Zeb. Remember?"_

Ezra sat up and saw Agent Kallus boring down on his friend. The bow rifle was raised and the imperial commander was ready to slice down.

Something began to mix with the memory and it became blurred for a moment before swimming back into focus.

"NOOO!" Ezra yelled. He shot his arms out, but as he did heard a loud lasat cry out in pain. Then silence.

Ezra stared at the lifeless form of Zeb and struggled against tears.

"ZEB!"

Kanan regained consciousness. Pushing himself back up and dusting his clothes off, he looked around the desert area until his gaze fell to the sad scene. He saw his student sobbing over a lifeless purple form. A lasat. Zeb.

The man's mouth gaped.

"Jedi!" Kallus yelled. "Vengeance is best served hot."

The Jedi reached for his lightsaber before realizing that the normal weight of the weapon on his calf was non-existent. How had he managed to forget his lightsaber? A small reminder pushed itself into his head. This wasn't real. This had never happened. Ezra had _saved_ Zeb, not sealed his fate.

"Ezra!" He yelled. "It's not real! None of it is!"

The world around them shook and then blurred again as Ezra struggled to draw the real memory back out.

Kallus turned and instead began running towards Ezra.

"KID! STOP THE MEMORY! FORGET IT NOW!" Kanan screamed.

The man tried desperately to push his mind away and eventually, Ezra's followed.

The poison came after them and curled around them. Both tried to shield themselves, thinking of memories but none was strong enough to claim a higher up against the poison.

Ezra opened his eyes and watched his master. There was a deep struggle showing in his face. The man grunted and winced as his mind fought fearlessly against the darkness. Though, no matter how hard he tried to hide it with his consistent fighting and refusal to cry out, Ezra could still see that he was in intense pain.

What had Kanan done to deserve that pain? To battle in this kind of fight? He'd done nothing.

_"If all you do is protect yourself, then your life is worth nothing." _The pilot's words rang throughout his head, along with everything the crew of the Ghost had given and sacrificed for him.

Ezra raised his mental shields.

Kanan's entire form immediately relaxed from its strain, his arms being released from an invisible binding.

Ezra's mind flooded with the toxin as he let out a yelp that he forced himself to cut off.

Kanan's attention flew worriedly to his student as he realized that the boy was still in danger.

"Why did you disconnect? Lower your mental shields!"

Ezra shook his head. "No." He croaked, form shaking. "I can't."

"Yes you can!" Kanan encouraged. "The poison can't control your mental shields. Just drop them!"

"I can't," The boy repeated. "It's hurting you!"

Kanan gave his student look of confusion.

"If we can't defeat this, if I can't, and we're still melded, then it'll turn you too." Ezra explained, pain laden in his voice. He let out a scream as more memories hit, more fears. Suddenly his eyes turned a bright gold around the rims and his face darkened. He shook his head violently as reality flooded back and the blue in his eyes returned.

"No! Ezra, lower your barriers!" Kanan instructed. "_Now_, Ezra!"

"I can't lose you." The boy whimpered quickly. "Not like I lost my parents. You have so much that you could accomplish, that I know I can never accomplish, never fulfill. It's just like you said." The boy gave a weak smile. "If I always try to protect myself, then I'll never be a Jedi."

"Kid, stop it. Just, stop it. You're not going this way." Kanan argued. "If you do this, then I can never forgive myself for not saving you and I've failed."

"Well neither can I!" The youth boomed. "If anyone's failing, then it's me."

"Kid, the only way that you are going to fail me, is if you don't let me help you." Kanan yelled.

The youth looked up at his master. His eyes were laden with fear, conflict, resignment, and surprise. He looked down.

"Lower them." Kanan whispered. "Let me help you. _Please_."

The boy looked back up. It hurt to see his master with such conflict, such desperation and he wondered what would hurt more. Losing a friend or dieing. Ezra knew what his master had lost, or at least some of it, and couldn't bring himself to take something else away. He dropped his mental shields.

"Don't do that again, kid." Kanan muttered. "_Ever._"

Kanan's presence filled him once more with a new desperation and new strength. Just as soon as they were connected again, another blow hit.

"Regretting refusing…my…offer yet?" Ezra squeezed out in between labored grunts.

Kanan grunted. "Nope."

The two minds pushed hard at the dark force. So hard, in fact, that they were completely naïve to the fake memory that was slithering inside of them. Without warning, they were both swallowed up by it.

* * *

**Thank you to Ginger Inc for checking my facts!**

**I PROMISE that the last chapter will be out tonight or tomorrow. **

**See you all in 2015!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ok, I know I promised I'd update by yesterday and am sincerely sorry for breaking that promise. Last night I got a bunch of lightbulbs out of nowhere and just****_ had_**** to redo the entire chapter! This is the longest chapter I've written in any fanfic and hopefully that makes up for it. Prepare thyself for feels and fluffiness! More than ever plz R and R! I worked really hard on this one and need feedback!**

**Also proofread a little, so grammar should be fixed now!**

* * *

The memory opened itself up like a book and suddenly both Jedi and padawan sat in a temple. The ceiling stood high above them as the walls curved inward, resembling the shape of a church bell. Evidence of rust and decay shown along the wood, along with new and untouched streaks mixing within. It was as if the temple couldn't decide if it was old and abandoned or new and alive.

Kanan's gaze shifted over to his student who stared at him wide eyed and confused.

"What?" The man's voice came out sounding a few octaves higher and the jedi cleared his throat.

"Who are you?" The teen asked, scooting further away from him.

"What do you mean who am-"

He then noticed that Ezra was perfectly eye level with him. Being taller than Ezra, Kanan struggled to comprehend why they were the same height. He looked down and noticed that he was in a Jedi robe and was much shorter. The muscles that he'd gained while aboard the Ghost were replaced with a fairly thin form. Kanan gasped as he reached up to feel his face and found that the go-tee he'd waited so long to grow was gone.

"Blast!" He muttered under his breath. He was a young padawan again. Kanan looked over to the cautious and dreadful form of his padawan. "Ezra, it's me." He explained, trying to ignore the tremor in his voice.

The youth snorted. "Do you really think I'm _that_ stupid?"

"No." Kanan smirked."But I do know that when you're not training, you're in your quarters 'reading'. And, judging by the affection and content that I sense every time I walk by, you're really thinking about Sabine and how much you want her to take an interest in you."

Ezra paled and then blushed. "Kanan? What in the force happened to you?"

The Jedi sighed and fixed the youth with a weary look. "Now that our minds are connected, I can feel and see these fake memories of yours and since the poison can't tell the difference, it tried to compensate for the extra information. In other words, it pulled a similar fear from both of our minds and melded it into another, possibly stronger, fake memory."

"How _old_ are you?" Ezra questioned.

"About fourteen, I think."

Ezra smirked. "Sweet, I'm older. Who's wiser now?"

"Nope, sorry. Still me." Kanan grinned.

The two teens jumped when the loud creak of a door filled the room. Two beings, a male and female, stepped into the temple. Kanan and Ezra gasped as waves of recognition and shock overtook their minds.

There stood a much more current form of Kanan. His arms were crossed in front of him, the look on his face emanating a mixture disappointment and anger.

Next to him stood the much shorter form of Depa Billaba. Her frown was deep, eyes stressed and at the same time, cold and stoned.

"How is this even possible?" The youths reacted in sync. They looked at each other and both groaned, slapping their foreheads, annoyed.

The force meld had its advantages. It was strong, useful, but the 'thinking and talking at the exact same time thing' got old fast.

"Master?" Kanan breathed as he rose to his feet.

"Hello padawan." The woman responded evenly.

A childlike feeling of utter disbelief and wholeness suddenly overtook the teen. Kanan ran towards her, hope and a new life filling his pine green eyes, when a strong force presented itself around his neck and refused to let go. The boy stopped in his tracks as his hands flew to his throat. The grip tightened and lifted the youth off of the ground. Kanan's gaze striked his master as he noticed that her hand was slightly closed in, holding something unseen. The tightened her hand around the invisible item, causing Kanan to let out a choked gasp as he clawed at his throat.

"You actually have the decency and innocence to still call me master?" She asked angrily. "After what you've done, you should be grateful that I don't just kill you now."

"NO!" Ezra jumped to his feet.

He threw one of his hands out, knocking the woman backwards and forcing her to release her grip on his friend.

The boy dropped to his knees and breathed deeply. Ezra ran over and grabbed his mentor's arm as he helped him to his feet.

"Thanks." Kanan said hoarsely.

The fake form of an older Kanan frowned.

"You can drop the act, kid." He boomed. "I know what you're hiding behind that mask."

Ezra looked up to the man hatefully. "Shut up. What you say doesn't matter. You're not real."

"I thought when I'd met you that you were good, so light and innocent, but we all wear a mask, now don't we?" He said, ignoring the teen's comment.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ezra said through gritted teeth.

"Then where was this interest in helping others when your parents were taken?" The fake Kanan countered. "Where was it when others were starving, or when Tseebo offered an explanation to where your parents were?"

He glared.

Ezra bit his lip. "No. You know that wasn't my fault. I was only…"

"Seven. Yes, I know. But even now, you are still a child, a scared and lost one at that. You know that they could still be alive, but you've chosen to leave them rotting away in a cell and it's killing you inside." His face shown with pity and blame. "You imagined to find people who cared for you as much as they did, a _family_, so you wouldn't be alone. Replacements, or am I wrong? Though, you still couldn't hide the fear and anger that had built up over the years. The fear and anger that now and always has filled your heart and is only beginning to show."

"No, Ezra, these are your own fears talking. He isn't me and you are full of light, _not _darkness." The real Kanan stated.

"How can he be wrong, if he_ is_ you?" The woman asked, stepping forward. "A padawan takes after their master in many ways. I was too naïve to see it in you, because you hid it so well, and as does your own padawan, though you refuse to see it just as I did." She pointed to the older Kanan. "He is merely a version of you in which you have headed the multiple warnings you'd received when training with the boy."

Kanan shook his head violently. "There is no darkness inside of him, I swear it!" He hollered.

The fake memory version of him grinned as he turned to Ezra. "You see, if you ever had any darkness inside of you, I knew. I'd hoped that your fear wouldn't find any anger to fuel it, but apparently I was wrong. The darkness is strong inside of you. If you accompany that with your strength in the force, then you could topple the whole empire." His face darkened. "This means that you could also destroy the entirety of the rebellion, leaving a world without hope. One that I've dedicated my life to keeping alive." He reached his hand down to the hilt of his lightsaber. "And one that I cannot let you destroy."

There was a flash of blue as the lightsaber shot towards Ezra's head. He let out a yelp as he jumped out of the way, causing the man to fall forward before quickly regaining his balance. Ezra backed away from him. The memory Kanan smiled as he shot his hand out and sent the teen flying across the room and into a wall. Ezra let out a loud yell as his back slammed against the hardwood interior, knocking all air out of his lungs. He fell down to the floor, landing hard and bruising his knees badly. The boy struggled to get a grasp upon air and tried again and again to inhale. The memory Kanan towered above him, a sad look plastered upon his face.

Kanan shot over to his padawan and stood in front of him. "LEAVE MY PADAWAN ALONE."

"Anger, I see in you Caleb." Depa mused from the other side of the temple, igniting her own lightsaber. "Returning to old ways, are we?"

Ezra, finally able to breathe normally, pushed himself to his feet shakily.

"You are not my master and I won't give you the satisfaction of me breaking." Kanan stated determinedly. He reached for his lightsaber, but found it missing from its hold. "Blast it!" He ducked as the woman swung her lightsaber towards him and joined Ezra with his back against the wall.

"Wait, this isn't real. They can't hurt us, can they?" Ezra asked.

"No, but if they injure you in this memory, then the sith poison will have a higher up against us." The other teen explained. "I wouldn't recommend it."

The two memory created life forms advanced towards the teens, lightsabers raised. The two teens avoided the swings that were brought down as they searched their minds for a way out of the nightmarish situation.

Ezra's head ached unbearably and he felt as though it were about to explode.

"STOP!" He yelled.

The man and woman ceased in motion, but still kept their defensive stances as their eyes moved over to the teen.

"These things that you're talking about," Ezra tried. "They happened in the past. They have no effect on the future unless you let them." His eyes filled with a new defiance. "So why should we let them?" He questioned.

"You have already failed to fulfill that Ezra. If the past shouldn't affect your future, then why are you still without a family?" The grown Kanan asked. "You feel so much guilt and blame that you refuse to move on. You're still alone in the universe."

Ezra looked down pitifully as his raven hair fell over his eyes and concealed them.

"Because he's not." Kanan stated, stepping forward. "No matter how far back or forward a regret may be to present day, it can always be built upon. You are ghosts of our fears, of our mistakes…"

"We have done regretful deeds yes," Ezra's voice joined Kanan's. "But we will not base our past failures on our future success. You have _no_ place here, where there is only light, hope, rebellion, a-"

"And family." Kanan cut Ezra off and rested a hand on the youth's thin shoulder. "There is understanding and family in its roots that won't ever be removed."

Ezra looked at his master incredulously. The look he received back was a look of truth, resolve, and content. The look was genuine and unwavering, filling every corner of his face.

Ezra smiled back.

Then the memory shattered. The two males were drawn back into the real world with a lurch and as this happened, they broke the force meld.

Kanan's eyes shot open as his muscles untensed from their stressed state. His eyes flew over to his padawan and he watched as the youth acted as though the wind had been knocked out of him, gasping for air, and then falling forward.

Kanan pushed himself up and caught the boy before he could make contact with the floor. The youth's eyes remained closed as he took in a shaky breath.

"Ezra?" Kanan ventured, reaching out through the force.

His request was met with a steady wisp of the force. It was a weak signature, but brought forth reassurance and calmness. No darkness was present in any form and the teen's whole mindscape seemed to be breathing a sigh of relief.

Blue eyes looked up at him with a weak smile.

"We did it." The youth whispered. "N-no more voices."

The Jedi pulled him into a warm muscled hug. Ezra's mind went blank for a few seconds as he tried to register why Kanan was doing this before he hugged back. He shook uncontrollably while letting out long shaking breaths.

Kanan held his padawan's head as he calmed himself down with the reassurance that his padawan was safe.

The boy's eyelids drooped, making the effort to stay awake, but failing the attempt.

Kanan felt the full weight of his padawan on top of him and heard a soft snore from behind his ear.

He chuckled. A force meld took a lot out of the mind.

Carefully, ever so gently, the man wrapped his arm around the teen's back and slowly stood up.

He turned towards the youth's bunk, but felt a small fear rise up inside of him as he bit his lip. The teen would sleep in his quarters tonight, just to make sure that the poison was out of his system.

Quietly, Kanan opened the doors to his quarters and gently laid Ezra down on the bed. The kid would be sleeping for a while.

Ezra stirred as he opened his eyes groggily. "Kanan?" He said, squinting.

"Hey kid, get some rest." The Jedi advised. "We've got a lot of training to do."

He tucked the blankets around the teen.

"Thanks." Ezra mumbled softly.

"For what?" The Jedi questioned.

"For being my…"

Ezra's eyelids became heavy as he began to slip out of consciousness, but Kanan was able to make out the last word.

"…_Dad._"

With that, the youth nodded off into a long sleep.

Kanan's brow furrowed as his mind worked away at what the teen had said. _Dad?_ Kanan shook his head warily as he lay down in the bed next to the teen. He smiled at the youth's sleeping form and slipped away into his own sleep. Though one feeling cycled through his mind as he slept, a feeling that he'd never thought would return.

For the first time in what felt like ages, Kanan felt **whole**.

Fin.

_Fin._

* * *

**I know I'm going to get a lot of stuff in the reviews relating to that part about Zeb. **

_**Ezra: How could you write that? *lip quivers.* **_

_**Me: It wasn't real Ezra! It was only an induced memory!**_

_**Ezra: *Shudders.***_

_**Me: Don't think too much into it. *Puts on backpack.***_

_**Ezra: Where are you going?**_

_**Me: *Shruggs.* The fanfiction is done.**_

_**Ezra: You're leaving?!**_

_**Me: Not forever. Just until I come up with another idea.**_

_**Ezra: And how long will that take?**_

_**Me: Can't really say.**_

_**Ezra: *Hugs me.***_

_**Me: See you soon. *Jumps off of the ship and lands inside Tardis.* ALLONS-Y!**_

**Also, If you have any ideas for future stories, please say so in the reviews! ****Hope u enjoyed reading this story because I sure enjoyed writing it! **


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